Mysterious Awakenings
by Morgruth
Summary: Danny wakes up after being captured by his parents in the town hall, but can't remember how he got there. Can he figure out what happened, who is responsible and still keep his secret?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

Summary: Danny wakes up after being captured by his parents in the town hall, but can't remember how he got there. Can he figure out what happened and who is responsible and still keep his secret?

Chapter 1

"Ugh..." Danny groaned as he woke up. His head felt heavy and he thought his ears were buzzing until he could make out that what sounded like static was actually the murmurs of a large group of people. He tried to sit up and rub his aching head but realized with a cold pulse of fear that he could not move his arms. His eyes snapped open as he moved his head to access his situation. Three glowing bonds strapped his chest, waist, and thighs to a metal table. His wrists and ankles also seemed to be restrained with metal clamps as he could not move either of them. He was somewhat relieved to note that he was in ghost mode, so whoever had captured him had not found out his secret. He did wonder how he got there and how he had managed to hold his ghost form while unconscious, but thrust these thoughts aside as he heard a group of people approaching. Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, he saw his parents and the mayor walking in to his left. Seeing the mayor walk back out of the room and hearing the crowd become quiet, he realized that he must be at the town hall.

"Jack. Look, he's awake," Maddie exclaimed.

They both walked over to Danny who asked, "Jack, Maddie, what's going on? What happened?"

"You tell us," Maddie retorted.

"Yeah, tell us what you did with our son, ghost, before I tear you apart molecule by molecule," Jack threatened as he pulled an ectogun out of nowhere and thrust it in Danny's face. Danny cringed and turned his head away squeezing his eyes shut tight, waiting for a shot that never came. When he finally got the courage to open up his eyes and look back at his parents, he saw his mother's hand firmly pushing the gun down towards the floor. Looking at his mother, he saw the briefest glimmer of sympathy cross her face before she began to look at him like she normally did when she expected an answer.

"Look, I don't know what happened to your son, and I certainly don't have anything to do with his disappearance. In fact, I can't even remember you capturing me. The last thing I remember was forcing Skulker back into the ghost portal in your basement." Upon this admission, his parents looked somewhat puzzled, then turned around and began whispering to each other.

While they were conversing with one another, Danny once again wondered what had happened after his fight with Skulker. What he had told his parents was certainly not a lie because he didn't know what had happened to him. When his parents had finally turned back around to address him again they held several items. His father held what was clearly one of Skulker's darts and a folded piece of paper, a note. His mother held one of his father's inventions, the Fenton Band, designed to 'encourage' a ghost to tell the truth. He did not know how it worked, and didn't really want to find out. He hoped that his answers would appease them so they would not use it on him.

"We found you unconscious on the floor of our lab with that dart in the back of your neck and this note on your chest. Does it mean anything to you?, " Maddie asked as Jack thrust the note in his face. 'What is it with my dad thrusting things in my face today? At least this won't do much more than make me cross-eyed," Danny thought.

"Could you please hold it still and turn it over? I can't read upside down," Danny requested as his dad complied with a sheepish look. It read:

Daniel:

I trust you should have things figured out by now. If not, then this should help: the clock is ticking. This time it is permanent. You know what to do. I will be waiting.

V.P.

Danny thought for a moment before it came to him- the Plasmius Maximus. But how was he still in ghost form? Wouldn't it have knocked him out of ghost mode when he was shocked with it? He didn't even remember being shocked by it either, and how could it be permanent? He figured it must have been modified to keep him in ghost form, forcing him to go to Plasmius, and Skulker must have hit him with that dart to knock him unconscious before he used the Plasmius Maximus. He knew he was going to have to get away somehow and go fight Plasmius for the cure. Vlad had him backed into a corner, and Danny hoped he could find his way out of this. His first step would be to gain his parents' trust enough to be able to escape, however unlikely that would be. He sighed and looked up at his parents knowing they would probably not believe what he was going to say, but he had to try.

"This note is from my archenemy Vlad Plasmius." At their puzzled expression, he continued, "I think you know him as the Wisconsin Ghost. Well, he has apparently taken Danny hostage and wants me to come after him. He has been trying to get me to join his side for the longest now and he's using Danny to get to me."

"Why would he do that?," Jack asked.

"Well, he knows that I won't just sit down and let the people I care about get hurt," Danny responded.

"Hah. You are definitely lying. Ghosts don't care about humans," Maddie said condescendingly. "Jack, I think its time we use the Fenton Band and get the truth out of him."

Jack's face lit up and he responded, "Sure babe. Put it on him while I check the equipment. Even though it hasn't been tested, it should work once it's calibrated."

When Maddie approached Danny with the band to put it on him, he began to panic and struggled a bit, but his bonds held fast. Maddie must have seen the terror on his face, because hers softened a bit as she fit it on his head, saying, "There's no use in you struggling. You can't break free, and if your scared, don't worry. The band shouldn't hurt you. All we want is the truth."

Swallowing the growing lump in his throat he said, "I have told you the truth. Why won't you believe me? What have I done to make you hate me?" At her glare he responded, "Besides that. Why can't you understand that not all ghosts are evil and neither am I?" He was growing desperate. He knew that if the band worked correctly then his secret could be in real jeopardy, and he was in danger, especially if he was going to be questioned in front of the crowd he had heard as he was waking up.

"Ok hon, all you have to do is attach those electrodes to the band and we can fire this baby up," Jack called from where he was working. Danny watched as his mother plugged them into the ports at each of his temples and then looked back over her shoulder to his dad and nodded. Jack then flipped a switch and turned a couple of knobs on the console in front of him as the band began to glow and came to life.

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AN: I will try and get the next chapter up sometime tomorrow. Please review. Reviews give me a lot of inspiration. A review I got for my oneshot Hurting Those We Love has given me an idea and the inspiration to possibly turn it into a multi-chapter fic. I had originally intended for it to be one of a series of oneshots, each written from a different point of view. I might try to add to it, but it will most likely be from Sam's POV. I'll just have to wait and see if my muses (and my professors) allow me.

Happy reading and please review!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you for your wonderful reviews. I am sorry that these chapters are so short, but I would like to update often, and this is pretty much all I can get typed in one day. I should be updating at least twice before the end of the week, but since I have two exams this week, there is no guarantee. 

Chapter 2

Maddie watched Danny's face as Jack activated the band for any signs that it was working. Danny's eyes slid shut and his frantic breathing slowed. He looked so peaceful it was almost as if he were asleep. Watching him, she was once again reminded of her son. He often had that expression while he was relaxed, but like before when she saw his fear, she brushed it off. There was no way she was going to equate this ghost and her son. She tapped the side of his face, forcing him to open his eyes and look at her. When he did, she was surprised to find his pupils were dilated to the point that almost no green was showing.

"Mommy?," he timidly questioned in a tiny voice, "Don't you love me anymore?"

Maddie's eyes widened at that. She turned to Jack and said, "I think you have it turned up too high. He thinks I am his mother." Again, he had sounded just like her Danny had when he was little. Slightly miffed that this ghost could make her sympathize with him in this way, she waited until Jack finished fiddling with the knobs and gave his assent to continue.

Opening and closing his eyes several times in what seemed to be an attempt to focus, Danny then slurred "I think this is what it's like to be drunk." Upon hearing this, Jack continued to work at the console until Danny seemed to go into a trance-like state, staring straight ahead with unfocused eyes.

Maddie saw this and waved her hand across Danny's face, and upon getting no response told Jack, "I think we are ready. Let me ask him a couple of questions before we go out there."

Jack nodded and responded, "Sure hon, just don't take too long. It sounds like the mayor will be ready for us soon."

Maddie looked down at the young ghost at their mercy and once again a wave of sympathy hit her. He looked so innocent, but she knew from experience that looks could be deceiving. After all, hadn't he blasted them and taken the mayor hostage? Now she was in a position to get the truth out of him and she was not going to let this opportunity get by. She had to know what he knew about her son's disappearance. He hadn't been seen since he had left his detention the day before, and it wasn't until Sam and Tucker had come by that morning to walk with Danny to school that they had known he was missing. She felt so guilty in not noticing he was missing because she and Jack had found the ghost boy lying on the floor of their lab just waiting for capture and were so excited that they hadn't even come up for dinner. They had just assumed that Danny was spending the night over at Sam's or Tucker's because Jazz had said that she had overheard his plans to do so that morning. Banishing those thoughts and her guilt from her mind, she began her questioning.

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Meanwhile, Danny's mind was in turmoil. When the band had first been activated, he felt very distant and out of contact with his body. He certainly didn't have any control over what he was saying or doing, since the band seemed to take away all of his inhibitions. He was dizzy and disoriented and could barely string together more than a few words of conscious thought. Soon though, that feeling slipped away as he felt even more disconnected with his body. It didn't even want to respond to his desire to blink when his mother passed her hand over his eyes. His thoughts though, became clearer and clearer, and he clung to the hope that since the band was designed to only work on full ghosts, the fact that he was half human would have some effect on how well it worked.

He knew he was about to find out when she looked at him pointedly and asked, "What do you know about my son's disappearance?"

Danny hesitated for a second then answered, "He is being held hostage." He was surprised at how monotone his voice sounded and noted that he had some control over what he said. He knew he would not be able to lie, but he could at least word the truth to his benefit. He hoped that he was not asked anything about his secret, but if he was he believed that he should be able to protect it, as long as they did not come right out and ask whether or not he was half human and who his human half was.

Maddie continued asking questions about her son and his involvement with his disappearance, but became frustrated in receiving the same answers as before. When Jack returned to let Maddie know that the mayor was ready, she turned to him and said, "Jack, I don't think it is working. I just asked him the same questions as we did before and he just gave me the same answers. He couldn't have been telling the truth."

"Sure he is Maddie. The band is supposed to put a ghost in something similar to a hypnotic trance. You know you can't lie under hypnosis. (Just assume this is true) Come on honey. The mayor is ready, and I can't wait to show everyone that we have captured the ghost boy!"

While still outwardly unresponsive, Danny was thankful that he still retained some control over what he could say, and that the questions his mother had asked him were easy for him to answer without giving up too much information about himself. He had a feeling that that would change as soon as they began questioning him in front of the city. His parents wheeled him out of the room and on the stage behind the curtain, and adjusted the table he was confined to until it was in an upright position facing the audience. He felt like a lamb being led to slaughter as his mother went out beyond the curtain and explained that they had captured him and had brought him before the town to answer for his crimes before being turned over for experiments. Though he didn't show it, he was desperately hoping for someone, anyone to come to his rescue and help him escape before they could experiment on him. All too soon for Danny's taste, his mother was done with her introduction and explanation and the curtain was opened, revealing his captured form to the audience's gaze. A collective gasp went up, almost as if they had not believed Maddie's words.

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Sam, however, just sat there in the audience in stunned silence. Seeing Danny for the first time since he had been captured, her heart nearly broke. He looked rough. His hair was dirty and matted, and there were numerous tears and stains on his suit. It looked like Skulker had beaten him pretty good before he had gotten him back in the Ghost Zone. When she had heard that the Fentons had captured him she could not believe it. It wasn't until Jazz had explained how and where they had found him that she was able to understand. She was worried though about the note, knowing that Danny would have to go after Vlad in order to be able to become human again. The elder Fentons did not even know that Jazz had told them, and Sam knew that the rest of the audience had no idea that they thought that he was responsible for Danny's disappearance. She could only imagine their reaction if they were to find out.

As she studied Danny further, Sam was puzzled by the sullen look on his face and his silence. She knew Danny would normally be unable to be quiet when faced with a danger such as this. She figured that his parents had done something to him, possibly even drugging him to keep him quiet. She was only partially right as Jack enthusiastically explained his new invention, the Fenton Band, which according to him, made it impossible for a ghost to lie. Sam's eyes widened at that, and she looked to Tucker, who was already typing furiously on his PDA.

"I'm hacking into their security system so I can shut that band down and release his bonds," Tucker whispered absently at her inquiring gaze, continuing to work without looking up. "It shouldn't be that hard, but it may take a while. I hope I can get it shut down before the questioning goes too far." At this, Sam turned back to the stage and waited for the questioning to begin.

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Thanks for reading and Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thank you for your great reviews, and just to let you know, I love suspense. Can't you tell? I am sorry if Danny seems OOC in this chapter, but I am trying to make him more mature and more calculating in what he says and does. This will come out even more in later chapters (it seems he has learned something from Jazz after all). Let me know if anything bothers you, and I will see if I can't fix it. I haven't had time to have this chapter betaed yet, so there might be errors. 

So, without further ado, the story continues:

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Chapter 3

Sam studied Danny's face for any sign of a reaction as Maddie asked, "What is your name?"

She was shocked at how flat his voice sounded as he said, "Danny Phantom."

His voice was as dead as he looked, and Sam's heart squeezed again. She was relieved that he had answered that instead of Fenton, but because he appeared to be in a trance, she could not tell if he had any control over what he was saying. Maddie continued with questions about his alleged crimes, which he answered with no indication of his real identity. At his answers explaining his innocence, the crowd grew restless, requiring the intervention of the mayor to quiet them. Sam could hear some whispers from around the crowd, and as before, the crowd was split. Those who believed he was guilty thought the Fentons' invention wasn't working, and those who thought he was innocent began defending him with all of the good he had done. Sam smiled at that, but once the crowd had calmed, Maddie changed her line of questioning.

She asked, "When did you die?"

"I never died ()," was Danny's short answer. At this, Sam turned to Tucker, who had set down his PDA, letting out a deep breath. He whispered, "I'm done. It's up to him to figure it out and escape. I have everything shut down." Sam nodded and turned to look at Danny, who had indeed appeared to notice that the band had been deactivated, though no one else had. His eyes were searching the audience, and when his found hers and they locked gazes, she nodded. She knew now that while he would probably not lie, he could stretch the truth a great deal and find his way out with his secret intact. Danny was more clever than he seemed; he may have been a C student but he was not as stupid as Vlad may say he was.

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Puzzled by his answer, Maddie continued the questioning by asking, "What do you mean you never died?"

"I was created when your portal was activated, so in essence I was born, but never died."

Maddie was taken aback by this. It went against all known theory that ghosts were 'ectoplasmic manifestations of post-human consciousness', and were created upon a being's death. It might, however, explain his reluctance to harm humans, especially her and Jack. It could also be that because it was their portal, he saw them as pseudo-parents. That might be why he had slipped up in the past with references to their family, and he called her 'Mommy' earlier. Shaking her head and filing those thoughts away for later, she chose her next question carefully.

"Why do you haunt this town?"

"To protect it." His answer not only shocked her, but it seemed to have the same reaction among the crowd. The mayor had to come forward and calm the audience again.

"Why?," she asked.

"I don't like seeing people get hurt, and since I have the power to stop the ghosts from coming through the portal to wreak havoc on the human world, I use it to help. I consider myself a guardian of sorts, and have taken this responsibility upon myself to protect this town and its inhabitants from the ghosts. I hang in the balance between life and death, preventing the dead from preying upon the living. The dead are not meant to walk in this realm, nor do humans belong in the ghost zone. The invasion of Pariah Dark proved that." His soft spoken eloquence held everyone's attention captive, so that no one noticed the slight movements that betrayed his impending freedom.

Coming out of her stupor somewhat, Maddie asked, "What about all of the damage you have caused? Someone has to answer for that."

"Yes, some damage is unavoidable, but what I do must be done to prevent death or the enslavement of the human race. The cost of repairing a few damaged buildings is much less than the alternative if I were to let them roam free."

"Does this mean you consider yourself good?," Maddie asked with a hint of incredulity in her voice. His statements were once again chipping away at all known theories about ghosts and their intentions.

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Danny paused before answering, turning his head to look his mother in the eyes. He knew this was his chance to not get free, but redeem himself in his parents eyes if he was successful. He knew he might not come back alive, but he at least wanted his parents to know he was not evil and that he still cared about them even though they had unknowingly done this to him.

"Good and evil are relative terms. There is evil in everyone, but in my case, I have seen what would happen if I allowed the evil within me to surface, and prevented that destruction from happening, with help from a friend. Having faced and conquered my demon, literally, I can honestly say that every day, I make a conscious effort to be good. That is all I can admit to."

"How could you face your own evil? How is that possible?"

"I traveled into the future with the help of a friend." Upon her questioning look, he continued, "Yes, ghosts have friends, and I for one have very good ones. So good, they have given me a means of to redeem myself in your eyes. I am going to rescue your son or at least die trying."

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Maddie gasped and rushed over to Danny as he began to fade into an ectoplasmic mist, the band falling to the floor with a resounding clank. Within seconds he was gone, but she could swear she heard her son's voice saying, "No matter what happens, I want you to know I love you and forgive you."

As Maddie stood there, she cursed herself for not noticing that his bonds had been deactivated. She had been so wrapped up in what he was saying that it had not occurred to her that he should not have been able to turn his head and look at her if the band was working properly. She knew there was no use in going after him now, so her immediate goal would be to figure out what he meant, and who had helped him to escape. They had to have been human, because none of the sensors had picked up any ghost activity within a hundred feet of the building. Steeling her resolve to find out who it was, she went over to Jack, who was looking over the equipment for any malfunctions. She would get that ghost and her son back, and nothing would stop her.

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As Danny became solid in the air over the town hall, he let out the breath he did not know he had been holding, and made a note to buy Sam and Tucker huge thank you gifts once all of this was over. Turning invisible, he set off for his house and the portal, knowing that a journey through the Ghost Zone would be the best way to reach Vlad's. Reaching his house, he phased through his bedroom wall, stopping just long enough to leave a note for Sam and Tucker on his computer. He told them his plan, and what to do if he did not come back after a certain amount of time. He knew he needed them to explain what had happened to his parents if something went wrong.

Getting ready to leave, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Frowning at his appearance, he decided to test Plasmius' work and see if he could go back to human just in case. Excitement when the rings appeared at his waist quickly gave way to disappointment as he noted his now clean looking white hair and repaired jumpsuit. "Well at least I don't look like I need a tailor and a shower anymore,"he noted and phased downstairs. Reaching the lab, he was not surprised to find the portal doors open, and plunged in, on his way to Plasmius' portal.

After flying for nearly an hour with very little resistance, he was relieved to see the purple football that marked the entrance to the Plasmius Portal off in the distance. He was almost there, but figured that would have to wait as his ghost sense went off. It was not the first time it had happened on his journey, for the Box Ghost had already interrupted him twice, but it was the first time he could not find the ghost. Pausing and looking around, he was puzzled as his ghost sense kept going off. Normally he would have seen the specter who had set it off rushing off in the distance, but this time he saw nothing. He would soon find out who it was though, as he felt a sharp stab hit him on his right shoulder blade. He wheeled around, once again seeing nothing, as whatever had hit him began to work. He figured it was Skulker, who had been sent by Vlad to retrieve him, but was surprised to find that it wasn't. As his vision blurred and he began to lose consciousness, he could barely make out the form of Walker's right hand man, Bullet, and nearly half a dozen other guards from Walker's prison as they became visible right before Danny blacked out.

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Bullet laughed softly as he watched the ghost boy pass out and go limp, floating there. Everything was going to plan. He pushed a button on his communicator, "Sir, I have the ghost kid in custody."

The voice on the other end of the line said, "Good, bring him back to the prison. We will be ready for him shortly." Bullet smiled and ushered two of the guards to put the restraints they had been given on Danny and they dragged his flaccid form behind them all the way to the prison.

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AN: Dun Dun Dun! I have added yet another twist to the plot. Will Danny ever make it to Vlad's to reverse the effects of the Plasmius Maximus? What is Walker going to do with him once they reach the prison? You may just find out in the next installment, but

I'm not saying... Thank you for reading again and please review.

() I don't subscribe to the half-dead theory. I am just not that morbid I guess. I think that he is completely alive, but gained powers and a ghost form when the ectoplasm fused with his DNA. I think that if he really was half-dead, then his secret would have been figured out easily in a routine checkup at the doctor's office, and that Vlad would have been figured out in the same manner if he really did spend all that time in the hospital with ecto-acne.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for your reviews. Here is the next installment of Mysterious Awakenings, where we find our hero has indeed been taken into Walker's evil clutches...

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Chapter 4

Walker was pleased as his deputy and several guards hauled the sleeping ghost kid into his office. He motioned for them to secure him to the chair across from his desk. They did so and then moved towards the door to leave. "Bullet, you stay. I need to talk with you for a minute." At Bullet's look towards Danny slumped over in the chair, Walker responded, "He'll be out for a while, so don't worry. I have an errand for you to run." Handing him a piece of paper with some writing on it and a device, Walker said, "I need you to make a visit to our friend, and I want you to give him this note. There are some modifications I want made to this device. Tell him to bring it to me when he is done." Bullet nodded and then left. Walker glanced over at Danny and then smirked, "Even if this doesn't go to plan, I still have you."

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It was some time later when Danny began to wake up. He groaned and was not surprised to find himself once again restrained and in Walker's office when he opened his eyes. "Great. Just great. How many times is this going to happen to me today? First my parents, now Walker." He looked around the office, surprised to find he was alone, wondering why the warden was not there to gloat in his face when he woke up. He thought about just turning human and phasing through the bonds that held him, but then the reason why he was in the Ghost Zone to begin with came back to him. He couldn't go human, so he was stuck, at least until he was released from the chair and brought to a cell. Maybe he would be able to stage another prison break, but he doubted it.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard footsteps outside the door. Craning his neck to look, he was not surprised to see Walker saunter in with a smile on his skull-like face. What did surprise him was who was behind him. "Skulker?" Danny questioned, "What are you doing here? I thought you worked for Plasmius?"

"Ah, ghost child I do, but when Walker came to me with his plan for your capture, I could not resist helping him. Since I have not been able to get your pelt for the foot of my bed, I thought Walker's proposition to put you in a cage for all eternity was a good alternative."

"You did something to get arrested and he offered you your freedom if you helped capture me, right?" Danny said with a smirk. At Skulker's menacing glare, Danny chuckled, knowing it was true. He then turned his attention to Walker, who had by then sat at his desk, and was looking at some paperwork in front of him.

Noticing that Danny's and Skulker's conversation was over, Walker began the rant Danny had been expecting since he woke up. "I have you now, ghost kid, and there is nothing you can do to escape. You _will_ serve your sentence in my prison, which has been increased to- all of eternity.," he stated as he looked at the paper in front of him.

Upon hearing that, Danny burst out, saying, "I will escape. Even if I can't do it myself, my friends will come and rescue me."

"Oh, really? Are you sure they will know where to look? They think you went after Plasmius, and they don't have any idea that I was the one behind this, not Plasmius.," Walker said, grinning ear to ear. Danny was speechless, stunned by that admission, cursing his rashness and stupidity in walking right into Walker's trap.

"Yes, and while I was in your parent's lab, I confiscated the only means they have to track you down.," Skulker added while brandishing the Boomerang.

Danny's stomach began to churn as Walker continued, "Yes, it took a lot of research and planning to get you into the Ghost Zone, and I will not let you get away again. You have foiled my plans for the last time, punk." Turning to Skulker, he asked, "Did you bring our last bit of insurance?"

"Yes, and the modifications you requested have been made.," Skulker said as he took out what looked like a thick metal collar. Upon recognizing it as similar to the one Wulf had been wearing while under Walker's control, Danny began to panic. He struggled and thrashed around in the chair while yelling at the two who were advancing on him with menacing grins.

Becoming frustrated with Danny's resistance, Walker told Skulker to hold his head still. Skulker was finally able to do so, but not before delivering a stunning blow to the side of Danny's head. Walker then easily snapped the collar around Danny's neck. As the two walked back over to their original places, Danny hung his head. He knew what the collar could do, and didn't want to find out what the modifications had been, but when Skulker began taunting him and wondering aloud about who he was going to hunt now that Danny had been captured, it became too much for him, especially when he mentioned Sam. Danny began yelling and threatening Skulker but was cut off by Walker, who yelled "Enough! I think it is time we test your modifications on that collar, Skulker. Don't you think?"

"Yes, I too have tired of the sound of his voice. Just press this button on the remote and we will see if it works."

"What are you talking about? What modific-, " Danny's voice was caught off mid sentence as he found out quickly what they were talking about. He tried speaking again, and upon hearing no sound, became angry again, spewing some things that would have burned the ears of even the saltiest sailor. (Good thing they couldn't hear him, huh?)

Grinning at his antics, Walker pressed a button on the console of his desk and four guards filed in. "Take him to his cell. I'll give you the rest of my orders later.," he told the lead guard, handing him a key and the remote to Danny's collar. "Use this if he resists."

At the same time the other guards approached Danny, who upon hearing this, stopped his silent ranting and froze. They snapped a set of Skulker's cuffs on him to block his powers, released him from the chair and pulled him to his feet and out the door. Seeing an empty corridor to his left as they guided him down the hallway, Danny broke out of the grips of the two guards at his sides and made a break for it down the hallway. He only made it about 30 feet before a series of painful shocks brought him to his hands and knees, panting, as the guards came up on him, yanking him roughly to his feet. Looking at the leer on the lead guards face, he lowered his head and was reluctantly led to a door at the end of a dark hallway. The guard opened the door with a key before the others unceremoniously threw him into the dark room beyond and slammed the door shut.

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AN: Oh no! It wasn't Plasmius? It was all a setup by Walker? I know this is short, and I promise a longer chapter later, but I just thought it was as good a place as any to end the chapter, or at least to keep up the suspense... You all wanted an update soon, and I have to spend the next few days studing for exams, so I thought I would give you what I already have typed. Next chapter begins the psychological aspect of the story, so you will see Jazz's influence on Danny's thinking. It should be out before Friday. Oh, and keep sending me those wonderful reviews! They make me feel great, but my friend says that if my head were to get any bigger, it would explode. Oh well, at least I won't have to clean it up.


	5. Chapter 5

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AN: My beta suggested I might be a little sadistic. Am I? I just like seeing the hero triumph over seemingly impossible odds. Walker's character in my fic is definitely a sadist, but that is what I see him as being in relation to Danny. Danny got away from him twice after breaking his 'rules', so I figured once he had Danny, he would want to cause him as much pain as possible, both physical and mental. Thus the taunting will continue. It is time to get inside the mind of Danny and his sister... More twists and turns to come. 

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Chapter 5

To say Jazz was worried was an understatement. It had been three days since the incident at the town hall, and they had heard nothing from Danny. Sam and Tucker had taken the speeder per Danny's instructions to Vlad's house in Wisconsin, but had found hide nor hair of either ghost. They had even talked with the Dairy King who had told them that he had not seen Vlad in well over a week and supposed he was on vacation. None of them believed that of course, so they had set out to track Danny, but could not find the Boomerang. Jazz supposed her father had used it for parts in another of his inventions, since it had proven to be 'glitchy', but she did not want to ask her parents about it. They were already shaken up enough by the disappearance of both their son and the ghost boy, so mentioning one of their 'broken' inventions would have not been a good thing.

Her mother had become almost fanatical in her search for ghosts, whom she would question unmercifully upon cornering. Jazz could actually say she felt sorry for the Box Ghost, who had already had several run-ins with her mother. She had also gotten Tucker to look over the data from the mishap at the town hall, but he had claimed to find nothing. 'Of course he wouldn't find evidence of someone hacking into their systems when he was the one that did it,' Jazz thought.

Her father had shut himself up with his inventions in the lab, becoming almost totally reclusive, and when he did come up to eat, he would mutter incomprehensively about malfunctioning equipment and incorrect calculations. Jazz could see her family was crumbling around her, and that it would be up to her, Sam, and Tucker, to find Danny and bring him home. "We'll find you little brother, if it's the last thing we do."

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Danny, meanwhile was growing tired of the routine he had been thrown into. Walker would come in often to taunt and throw insults at him. Though Danny could not use words, he showed his displeasure in other ways, but it seemed to Danny that Walker enjoyed his antics, using them as an excuse to shock him. He wanted more than anything to get out, so after a few days of monitoring the guards movements, he made his move.

When they brought him his meal, they would open the door slightly and slide the tray of slop along the floor. He took advantage of this and hid himself from view and pounced on the guard as he stuck his head and arm through the door with the tray. Using the chain that held his cuffs together as a weapon, he grabbed the guard in a choke hold, using him as a shield from the fire of the other guards as he made his escape down the hallway. He didn't make it very far, because when the guard who held the remote to his collar arrived, he shocked Danny and the guard he was holding. Though he resisted, Danny soon lost contact with the waking world and landed on the floor in a heap, the chain of his cuffs having come loose from the guard's neck when he collapsed. The remaining guards then dragged his unconscious body back to his cell.

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"He is growing stronger. You will have to do more if you wish to keep him here for the next phase of our plan," a mysterious figure told the warden as they watched footage of the attempt.

"Yes, I know, and more precautions have been taken to prevent his escape. No wonder you want him out of your way. He took out one of my best guards without any powers at all," Walker mused as he watched his companion reviewing the tape with interest.

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When Danny woke up and found himself back in the cell, he was frustrated and angry. His attempt had failed miserably. The guard who he knew held the remote had been able to reach him before he could get far enough away. He sat up and rubbed his head, noticing for the first time that the chain that held his cuffs together was gone, but the cuffs were still there. 'I guess they didn't want me to use that as a weapon again,' he thought as he noticed another addition to his attire- an ankle cuff with a large linked chain attached to the wall. 'Oh great,' he thought, 'Now I can't get out of the cell even if I tried. Maybe it is time for a new strategy. If I can't get out by brute force, then maybe I can get out using my brains. Jazz has always told me they will get you farther in life. '

It took some time, but he was finally able to figure out a way to at least get out of his solitary cell and into the general population for a time. He knew that if Walker did not see him as a threat to the peace in the prison, then he might let him have some time out of his cell. Since he couldn't speak, he was not in a position to talk his fellow prisoners into a riot like he had last time, and Walker knew it. 'I hope this works,' Danny thought. 'If it does, then I will have Jazz to thank for all of the psychology stuff she has been spouting off recently. It could actually work for me. Wow, I never thought I would think that.' He shook his head. 'I'll have Sam to thank for the acting lessons, too. They worked at the town hall, so why not now?'

He firmly resolved his plan and began putting it into action over the next few days. He knew there was a camera observing his every move, so he had to be careful. When Walker would come in for his daily rants, Danny began to react less and less to his taunting, even though it was very hard to ignore. He used every tactic he knew to remain calm and uncaring on the exterior, silently thanking his mother for some of the breathing and relaxation techniques she had taught him during his martial arts training when he was younger. After about a week, Danny quit acknowledging Walker or any other presence entirely, seeming to go into a catatonic state. To anyone else, it would look like he had given up.

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"He's beginning to break," a silky voice purred. 'I thought he was stronger than that,' the figure mused. 'At least he was the last time we met.'

"Yes, it appears so, but I have one more thing to say to him before we begin the next phase of the plan," Walker told the group of ghosts that had gathered in his office.

"What pray-tell is that?," another voice asked.

"Just watch. You'll find out," Walker said with a grin as he left to go to Danny's cell for one of his 'visits'.

When he entered Danny's cell, he was not surprised to find Danny lying on the bed with his back to the door, completely unresponsive. Seemingly un-phased by this, Walker began his daily rant. He watched as the ghost kid just laid there staring at the wall, his breathing and blinking eyes the only indication he was alive. Now, he knew it was time to up the ante, and yanked the chain secured to Danny's ankle hard, pulling him off the bed and onto the floor on his back. At this, Danny's eyes drifted up to focus on the warden's leering face before losing focus again and staring off into space.

"Now that I have your attention, I have some news from home for you. I am pleased to inform you that you are now legally dead. Apparently they found your remains two days ago. According to the news there was barely enough left of you to be identified. The best thing about it is they are blaming it on you, or at least your ghost half, so even if you do escape and get back to the real world, they will hunt you down as a murderer."

Seeing no immediate response, Walker turned on his heels, laughing softly, and left Danny to his thoughts. His news was no bluff, for he and his 'partners' had obtained enough blood and other evidence to stage the crime scene. After all, Danny was no good to their plan if his friends and family still believed he was alive. Maybe now they could move on to the next phase of the plan with no opposition from Danny.

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Danny could not believe what he had just heard. He had barely been gone two weeks and he had already been declared dead. It couldn't be true, and if it was, he hoped his friends did not believe it. If they did, they would then have no reason to come after him. He might never escape then. A solitary tear rolled down his cheek as he turned over onto his side and heaved himself back onto the bed to stare off into space and think some more.

It was barely two days later before Danny thought he was going to really go crazy. He was tired of having to keep up his charade, and could see that if he had to go on any longer, he wouldn't even have to act. He began to analyze his situation and what he knew, trying to find a loophole in Walker's plans, but he still felt like he had too little information, but he began to think that Walker had to have had other help besides Skulker. He didn't know it but he would not get much more time to ponder on who before the next phase of the plan began.

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AN: Who are the mysterious figures gathered in Walker's office? I'm not telling, but you can have a cookie if you figure it out. They probably won't be revealed until Chapter 7 or later, but I'm not going to say whether any of them are canon or not. They might just be OCs, but you'll just have to wait and see. I have most of Chapter 6 done, but I am having problems with a transition, so It might take me a while to sort everything out.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: This was not how the chapter was originally supposed to begin, but I got a little CSI/Closer inspiration. Sorry if the description of the crime scene turns your stomach, but this fic is rated T for a reason. It is also taking some time for my beta to get the chapters back to me, as she has a very hectic schedule, too. I noticed there were quite a few errors in the chapters that she hadn't edited, so I may or may not go back and fix them. It just depends on my mood. This chapter is also longer than the others because the first part of the fic is winding down. Yes, there is more. Much, much more. I haven't even gotten to the plan yet... I will eventually, and you will be stunned and probably want to hurt me for all of the twists in the game, but hey, there's a reason it's a suspense/mystery.

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Chapter 6

"The officer who called this in didn't know how to describe it," Detective Brenda Jones told her partner Joseph Black.

"Yeah, I heard he found it while they were searching for that missing Fenton kid. You don't think it could be him, do you, Bren?

"I don't know, but I hope not," she responded as the car came to a stop and they got out.

"Where is it?" Detective Black asked one of the officers roping off the scene, preventing the gathered bystanders from getting too close. He pointed to a place to his left, over a small rise, so the two detectives headed to where he had indicated.

"Jesus! What happened here?" Detective Jones exclaimed. "It looks like a tornado hit."

"Yeah, it must have been some fight," Black added. Indeed it did look like a fight had taken place, but the scene was punctuated by a sinister looking scorch mark about three feet in diameter. "Geeze, if there was anything standing there, it would have probably been vaporized," Black pointed out as Jones examined the mark on the ground.

"Joe, I think you're right. I think I've found something here, or rather somebody, she said with a grimace as she used a set of tweezers to gather several items from the burned area as evidence. Among them were a set of keys and the remains of a charred watch, the band having disintegrated by the blast. Turning the broken watch over and rubbing the soot off the back, she saw the inscription and gasped. "Oh no."

"Yeah, I know. Look what I found near that bush over there," her partner said as the held up a bloody shoe and some scraps of bloody fabric.

She cleared her throat and continued, showing him the watch as she spoke, "No, I think we found the missing Fenton boy. I sure don't want to be the one to tell his parents about this, especially since it looks like a ghost did it." Joe knew exactly what she was talking about; Maddie Fenton had already proven herself a very formidable woman when her children were in danger. He could only imagine her reaction to the news that one of them was dead.

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Jazz thought back to her parents reactions to the news that their son was dead. It was certainly not what she had expected. Her mother had broken down, sobbing on her father's shoulder, whose face looked more serious than she had ever seen it. It was hard for her to believe he was really gone, but according to Tucker, who had hacked into the police records, there was plenty of evidence for them to come to the conclusion her brother was dead. There was also evidence of a fight, as well as blood stained clothing and some of his personal items, but there was no body. It was as if he had just disintegrated. Because of this, the three remaining members of 'Team Phantom' did not believe he was dead, and held out the hope that he was still out there alive somewhere. Other than his missing body, there was the fact that there was no evidence he ever came back out of the Ghost Zone from the Fenton Portal, which had been shut since her parents had gotten home from the town hall. Vlad's portal had also been shut when Sam and Tucker had gone looking for Danny in Wisconsin. Vlad hadn't even been heard from since. From what Jazz knew about Danny's arch-nemesis, he would have most likely already swooped in, taking advantage of Danny's disappearance in some way, especially if he were responsible. But that was what troubled her. Wasn't he the one responsible? Why hadn't he surfaced, even weeks after the incident? Tucker had even hacked into some of Vlad's company files, and had found that he had not been seen at work for weeks. Jazz felt like something else was going on, and it was up to her, Sam, and Tucker to find out what it was and what had really happened to Danny.

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Vlad Plasmius was not a happy halfa, as he sat staring at the tray of paste-like substance in front of him. All of his plans, and he had been reduced to this. 'Oh, well at least I have a way out of this. I just need one more element to orchestrate an escape, and there it is now,' he thought as he saw a morose and quiet Danny being led into the mess hall by several guards. He was slightly taken aback at Danny's demeanor, but was not surprised. After all, Walker could be very sadistic towards those he did not like. The guards led him over to an empty spot across from Vlad, pushing an identical tray of the nasty slop in front of him. Vlad watched as Danny began to mechanically eat while staring off into space. It was quite unnerving to Vlad, to see the completely blank look on his normally expressive enemy. He decided he would wait a while to see if Danny's demeanor would change before making his offer of escape. Hopefully he would come out of his shell a little after having been in solitary confinement for so long.

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It took about a week for Danny to become responsive enough to Vlad that he thought he could make his offer. He also knew what Danny would think he was expecting in return. 'If he only knew...'

Danny's mind wandered absently as he listened to Vlad's ranting. He had heard it at least a dozen times over the last few days, and was beginning to grow tired of it. Sighing heavily, he looked up at Vlad and sent him a glare that could have seared the soul of the devil himself. Vlad looked somewhat surprised at him and blinked before asking, "Do you want to know how I got here?" At that, Danny shrugged and continued eating.

Vlad began. "I was working in my lab, trying to find some of my missing inventions, when Skulker came for one of his payments. I turned my back on him for one second, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in Walker's office. Apparently, he was tired of my meddling in Ghost Zone affairs, believing that I posed a threat to him being half human. He had used a modified Plasmius Maximus to keep me in my ghost form so I could not turn human and phase through any objects, so I was stuck. He also told me that he had already captured you, so that you could serve your sentence. May I ask what you did to merit such a harsh punishment?"

Danny did nothing but point to the collar around his neck and began to play with his food on the tray before him. Danny briefly questioned Walker's logic in arresting Vlad, but pushed it aside, thinking that Walker had no logic in what he did. He could tell that just by the way he made up rules when something didn't please him.

"Oh, well that's a discussion for another day," Vlad said with a slight smile as he continued, "I don't know how Walker got Skulker to turn against me. I thought I was the only one with the smarts to do that. Apparently I have been beaten at my own game. You know how I don't like to lose. I will have my revenge on Walker and Skulker, but first, I'll see what I can do about getting us out of here." Danny looked at him skeptically, knowing what he wanted in return and then turned away from him, shaking his head in disagreement.

"You don't want to get out of here?" Vlad questioned. Danny just shrugged his shoulders indifferently and went back to his food. Vlad scowled. He knew he could not escape without Danny, so he just said, "Fine. I'll do it with or without you. It makes no difference to me if you rot in here for the rest of eternity. At least you won't get in the way of my plans to have Maddie and kill your father." At this, Danny sent him a glare, but otherwise did nothing. Vlad thought 'Either he has really given up, or he has amazing restraint. If I had said that to him just a month ago, he would have at least tried to hit me.'

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Danny had been surprised to say the least when he saw Vlad Plasmius sitting at one of the tables, dressed in the same prison garb as him. He wanted so badly to run over there and hit Vlad, but knew that it would accomplish nothing but putting him in pain, since Vlad was much larger than him, and he had no powers. They would probably use the collar the second he lunged for Vlad, so he most likely would be unable to get in even one hit. It would also make it less likely for them to let him out of his cell again, so he just maintained his act and kept his blank stare. He wasn't surprised either, when the guards escorting him forced him into the seat across from his arch-foe. His first thoughts were, 'This has got to be some kind of test. I knew Walker was bad, but would he really stoop this low just to torture me?'

Several days later, he thought, 'Yep, he would. Vlad will just not shut up. He almost makes me wish I were back in my cell. He's worse than Dad, No wonder they were friends in college- they could probably talk each other to death. If only Mom hadn't gotten in the way... I know things would have been different; at least Vlad wouldn't be trying to kill Dad... I wonder how Walker managed to get him here. It's not like Plasmius to be that easily taken.'

His questions were answered when Vlad began to talk about the circumstances of his capture, but Danny only showed mild interest. 'So Skulker did really betray Vlad for Walker. Walker must really feel threatened by us if he wanted the both of us out of his way. I wonder what he is planning. He's probably going to make an attempt on the human world. He knows I would try to stop him and Vlad would not stand for it either, since he wants both worlds for himself.' When Vlad gave his offer to help Danny escape, Danny was mildly interested, but refused, because he knew what the price would be for his freedom from Walker. It would be no freedom at all, especially having to work for Vlad. It was Vlad's remark about him rotting while Vlad went after his family that got Danny's blood boiling, but he still refused to acknowledge it had affected him with anything more than piercing glare.

Danny had wondered what had happened to Vlad when he had not been at meals for two days, but soon found out when he caught sight of Vlad when he reappeared. Vlad looked like he had been put through a meat grinder. His ghostly blue face was covered in horrible looking bruises and his left eye was covered with a bandage. His hands were also apparently injured, as they were covered in a layer of white bandages as well. Vlad had evidently tried to make his escape and failed. Danny sat there mildly interested as Vlad boasted about his attempt to the other prisoners around him.

Vlad soon turned to address Danny personally, whispering, "See, I couldn't do it without you. It pains me to say it, but I need your help, Daniel." Danny just shook his head.

"Daniel, don't make me beg. I need to get out of here as much as you do. Look, I promise a truce if you help me out. I'll even provide you with the means to return to human form. You know I will need to use it myself." Danny still refused, forcing Vlad to go to the next level.

"Daniel, it really is important that we get out of here as soon as possible. I overheard some of the guards talking while I was attempting my escape, and Walker is gearing up to invade Amity Park soon. He apparently has control over most of the Ghost Zone right now, and many of your enemies have allied with him. He wanted the both of us out of his way so we would be unable to stop him. We may have different intentions in this, but we both know that we do not want either world to be under Walker's rule."

Danny considered it with much apprehension before nodding his consent. He was right! Walker was going to take over the real world. He needed to get back and defend it, and if it took a truce with Plasmius to get out of the prison, then he would do it, to save his family and friends.

"Ok, here's what we do..." Vlad said as he began to outline his plan for their mutual escape.

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AN: I had some problems with Vlad's character and a transition in this chapter, but I think it all worked out. The next chapter is a doosy- you'll see. Nothing is as it seems, and the real culprits as well as the plan come out. I can't wait to see your reactions...


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Wow. This story has gotten a whole lot longer and more complicated the more I write. Can you believe that I originally intended it to be a one-shot of Danny explaining why he does what he does to his parents after they capture him? Once I finished that, I thought it needed more action, so I added the note and him going to Plasmius. I still wasn't satisfied with that and it has grown into this huge monster of a story because of it. After seven chapters it seems to have taken a life of its own. When I started posting it, I only had parts of the story through Chapter 4 handwritten. Now, less than a week later, (in actual writing time, because this still has to go to my beta) I have just typed three more chapters from scratch. It seems that every time I have a free moment, I just start typing, and before I knew it, I had fifteen more pages typed. Well, sorry to bore you with my rambling- here's the next chapter, where we find out more about the plan and who the real culprits are, and what our heroes are doing back in Amity Park to find Danny.

I know I haven't put this on every chapter, but here it is again: I do not own Danny Phantom. I do, however, own this plot and any OCs.

Chapter 7

_Don't hate me! _

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"He agreed to it," Vlad crowed as he entered Walker's office, pulling the bandages off his eye and hands. He also removed the fake collar and wristbands and the prison uniform before transforming back to his human self. "Everything is going according to plan. Do you have the remote?" Vlad asked Walker, who handed the remote to Danny's collar to him.

"So you finally got him to trust you?" a silky female voice asked. "It took you long enough."

"Yes, I know, Penelope, but these things cannot be rushed. You know as well as I do that he had to come to the decision of his own free will, even if I had to lie to him to get him to agree. I am just glad it's over," he said as he wiped the makeup that had transferred over to his human form off his face. "That uniform and collar are not comfortable, and that slop you call food is hardly edible," he added as he looked over to Walker.

Walker just grinned and said, "That's the point."

"Yes, well, it was getting annoying having to pretend to be your prisoner, and quite humiliating I might add. If it hadn't been necessary for our plan, I certainly would not have put myself in that situation. I had to beg," he said with a shudder.

"When will you make your attempt?" another female voice asked. "I will have to be nearby right after it happens."

"Tomorrow night, Patricia," was Vlad's reply.

"Good," she said. "I think I can be ready by then." Patricia Spectra, Penelope Spectra's sister, had not been around as long as her happiness sucking sister, so she was not as strong. She could only affect humans, so she knew that her powers might not work as well on a halfa like Danny, and Vlad was certainly not going to volunteer to test it. She thought about it for a minute and added, "You need to make sure and get him plenty exhausted. He needs to be completely drained of ghost energy if my abilities are to work correctly."

"Yes, I'll make sure he is drained before you step in, Patricia. What I am worried about is his mental state. One of his more admirable characteristics is his fiery spirit, which we knew could cause us some trouble. That's why allowed you, Walker, to treat him the way you did, but I think you may have gone too far. We needed him to quiet down some so he could be released into the general population so I could talk to him, but I don't like seeing him in such a state. We don't need him to be completely broken. He'll be of no use to us then. What do you think, Penelope? After all, it is your area of expertise."

"I don't know, since you won't let me anywhere near him to sense how much he is suffering," she sniped. "I can't sense it long range either, because there is so much misery here anyway thanks to Walker. I wish I had hooked up with him years ago; the pain and anguish his inmates put off are enough to keep me young forever," she said as she hooked an arm around Walker's shoulder and planted a kiss on his cheek. (eww!)

Vlad looked at them with thinly veiled disgust and continued, "I had to pull the 'attack the human world card' to get him to agree, so I don't know how effective the memory wipe will be. You told us that the emotions that your victim experienced just prior to an attack, as well as how strong they were, can effect how well it works. I don't know if he will be feeling enough anger for your power to be successful, Patricia. It needs to be stronger than any depression he might be feeling."

"Oh, don't worry, I have that covered. Skulker has gone to retrieve some items from the real world that might just make him angry enough," Walker put in.

"Really?" Vlad asked. "Then this might just work. We have worked hard for too long for this to fail. Daniel will be ours," he said, beginning his villainous laugh. The others in the room soon joined in, their minds filled with the possibilities of what would happen with Danny Phantom on their side.

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Jazz and the others thought it was odd that there hadn't been a single major ghost attack in Amity Park since her brother's disappearance, and even more, that no ghosts, not even the Box Ghost had appeared since her brother's 'funeral.' That was until Skulker showed up last night and attacked Tucker. He hadn't appeared to be after anything but to rough him up a bit, and for some reason took his beret. Tucker certainly hadn't been happy about that.

"That was my favorite one, too," he had said lamenting over the loss of it, but thankful that, "At least my baby wasn't harmed", stroking the PDA in his hand lovingly. "I don't think I could have stood to lose both of them."

Team Phantom was having a meeting shortly after Skulker's attack when Sam asked, "Do you think that attack had anything to do with Danny's disappearance?"

"I don't know," Jazz responded. "I've told you before that I think there is something more going on. We still don't have any evidence that Danny ever left the Ghost Zone."

"You don't think Skulker finally got Danny as part of his 'collection' do you," Tucker asked with horror on his face, "and why would he want my hat?"

"No, I don't think so," Sam said. "But if he did, then he probably took the hat to show he would hurt one of us if Danny tried to escape, but I doubt it. I know Danny is stronger than that and would have already gotten free if it was Skulker who was holding him. It has to be someone else."

"Any of Danny's enemies could have gotten him once he entered the Ghost Zone. We have no idea where to start!" Tucker exclaimed.

"I agree with Tucker. It could be anyone. We are just going to have to rule them out by a process of elimination. It is going to take some time unless we get some more clues. We also have to deal with the disappearance of Plasmius for nearly a month," Jazz said calmly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you, Vlad was spotted two days ago at one of his corporate buildings. Apparently his explanation for his absence was some sort of 'sabbatical'," Tucker supplied while pulling up the files he had hacked on his PDA for Sam and Jazz to see. "Apparently he went off grid as a part of some kind of 'cleansing ritual', Tucker said as he snickered. "I have a hard time believing that."

"Me too," Sam replied.

"Well, we can't just go barging into the Ghost Zone demanding answers. It's just too dangerous for us to go in there alone, and we have no way to track Danny once we get in there. I still don't understand what happened to the Boomerang. There haven't been any ghosts around for weeks, and Mom didn't even get any information out of the ghosts she captured before they found 'Danny's remains.' We are going to have to get answers some other way. Any ideas?" Jazz said logically

"I think I may," Sam answered. "Since we believe that he is still in the Ghost Zone, I went to the liberty of going to my favorite bookstore and finding several books about the Ghost Zone. I think if we split them up to read, it would be faster than me just reading them myself," she said as she handed Jazz and Tucker a book each. "I left the one I am reading at home, but if you could start on these soon, I think it would be for the best." Tucker gave a slightly displeased look at the book in front of him, preferring it were at least a little thinner, but he knew that reading an actual book was a sacrifice he was willing to make to save Danny.

"Well, it's getting kind of late. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have an early class in the morning, and I really need to get some sleep." Jazz said as she put the book Sam had given her in her bag. "I'll drive you both home if you want." Both teens nodded their heads as they left the Nasty Burger for Jazz's car.

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"Oh my God!" Sam exclaimed as she finished a section of the book she was reading. "This has to be it. This has to be the reason Danny went missing." She grabbed her cell phone and called Tucker, "Tucker, I need you to meet me over at the Fenton's right away. It's important. I think I know what happened to Danny." Not even allowing Tucker a chance to respond, she snapped the phone shut and pulled on her boots, grabbing her backpack and the book on the way out the door.

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"Where is she?" Tucker asked Jazz as they waited for Sam to arrive. "She said it was important and she should have been here by now."

"I don't know, Tucker. Do you think maybe she had a hard time getting around her parents?" Jazz asked.

"No, her parents are out of town this week. I'm beginning to think that something happened to her. Maybe we should go look for her," he said with a growing sense of panic.

"Omygosh, Tucker, you could be right! You try calling Sam on her cell while I get my keys. Meet me at my car."

Tucker grabbed his phone and began dialing as he walked down the Fenton's stairs towards the front door. After two rings, he heard Sam pick it up. "Tucker, not now. I'm having some problems." Her voice was punctuated by the sound of what appeared to be a jet pack and ectoblasts being fired.

"Sam? Sam?" Tucker asked. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine for now, but I need you to come quick. Skulker's after me. I managed to take out one of his jets with the Fenton Lipstick Danny gave me for protection, but I need a thermos. It won't take long for him to recover and come after me again." The sound of another blast floated over the line. "Scratch that, Tucker. Just get your butt down here with a thermos, NOW!"

Tucker rushed out the door and into Jazz's waiting car, "Sam's in trouble. Skulker's gone after her now. We need to find her before it's too late."

At this, Jazz sped off in the direction of Sam's house, scanning the skies and alleyways for any signs of Sam or the hunter ghost. Finally they found them, less than two blocks from Sam's house. Skulker was standing over Sam's prone form about to fire at her when Tucker and Jazz ambushed him from behind. They managed to get him away from Sam and after Jazz used the Fenton Peeler to strip him of his armor, it was easy for Tucker to get him in the thermos. By the time the battle was over and they made it to Sam's side, she was unconscious and bleeding from an injury to the side of her head.

"Tucker, grab her bag and things. We need to get her to the hospital," Jazz said as she assessed Sam's injuries.

"Hhhospital?" Tucker stuttered.

"Yes, Tucker, she needs to go to the hospital. Now grab her stuff and help me get her into the car. Oh don't look like that. I think I have a paper bag for you in there somewhere," she said with a sigh as she saw the look of horror on Tucker's face.

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"Sir, I have news about Skulker. It appears he has failed his mission by being captured by the ghost kid's friends," a guard said as he stuck his head through the door to Walker's office. "I do have some good news though. Apparently his gothic girlfriend is in the hospital because of the attack and she still has not woken up," he added quickly and left, so as to not incur Walker's temper.

"Yes, well, I am not surprised about Skulker. That girl is a lot tougher and more resourceful than she looks. This may still work out though. I think I'll send someone to look up on her," he thought aloud. Pressing a button on the intercom on his desk, he said, "Tell Bullet I need to see him."

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Trying to track down Sam's parents had been a real ordeal. Jazz had managed to get hold of her grandmother to get consent for treatment, but the hospital staff still wanted her parents' signatures on the paperwork. She and Tucker had managed to finally contact them somewhere in Switzerland, and they were on their way back now. What worried her now was the fact that Sam had still not woken up. What had Skulker done to her? What had been so important that she called a meeting at Fentonworks in the middle of the night?

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AN: Patricia Spectra's powers are very interesting in this fic, as is her character. Her main power is to manipulate and suck out people's memories, using them in a manner similar to her sister's, though not as a way to keep from aging. The reason why she takes people's memories will be outlined later (I hope). The thing about emotions is important, because apparently the emotion that her victim experienced right before her attack is what they will feel and remember after she is done. If a person is depressed, they will remain that way, because the memories of their depression will remain with them. If they are angry, then memories of rage and anger will be retained. They want Danny mad before his memory is wiped so he will be angry when he recovers from it. They believe his anger will help turn Danny to their side.

TexasDreamer01: I wasn't lying when I told you it wasn't Vlad in Walker's office. It was Patricia Spectra the first time, alone with Walker. She was watching the footage in an effort to learn more about Danny. Patricia is going to be an interesting OC to write because she has never had a run-in with Danny before, and only knows of him through her sister. The second time it was all of the players except for Vlad, who was off making preparations for the plan with Skulker. Also, Vlad is not one of the 'helpers,' they are all somewhat equal partners, even though most of the plan was orchestrated by Vlad and Walker. Each of them has something to bring to the deal, and they will all benefit in some way from the plan if it is successful.

Sasia93: I guess you see the reason for Danny's apparent depression now. Danny knew from some of his sister's psychobabble that it would be a good idea to become more docile in order to be allowed more freedom and interaction with others. He decided to completely ignore Walker and go catatonic, appearing to be depressed just to piss Walker off. By doing this, he got what he wanted, but he unknowingly played right into the bad guys' hands.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to update, but now that this semester is over, I could actually finish typing what I had. I have had major problems with the time line and some plot holes I have been trying to fix. Since no one answered me about a sequel on my profile, I have decided to end this part of the story and write a sequel, Mysterious Recollections once this part is finished. This has not been betaed, so please forgive any mistakes. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of Butch Hartman's characters. I do not own any Spongebob Squarepants characters either.

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Chapter 8

Tonight was the night they were going to attempt their escape. Vlad had managed to bribe one of the guards into getting hold of one of the collar remotes so it could be reprogrammed to release them, along with an extra key to Skulker's power blocking cuffs. Vlad would hit the release to their collars on Danny's way to the cafeteria, but he would not show he was free until he reached the cafeteria doors, which were designed to automatically lock behind him once he entered. He was to attack his escort as soon as the door was opened, giving Vlad enough time to slip out and join him while the guards were distracted. Vlad would then use the key to unlock their cuffs and they would proceed to Walker's office, where they would find the device that locked them in their ghost forms and use it, so they could return to human form and escape.

It seemed simple enough, but as with all plans there had been several glitches. Walker was apparently prepared for such an incident, and as soon as Vlad left the cafeteria, an alarm sounded, causing all the guards to gather and gang up on Danny and Vlad. They managed to fight their way down to the warden's office, but came face to face with Skulker and nearly two dozen guards in riot gear. Both Danny and Vlad dodged their shots expertly, but they were quickly growing tired.

Skulker seemed to have a particular interest in hitting Danny, using many of the weapons he had designed to hunt him in the process. Danny figured he wasn't using them on Vlad because Vlad had made sure they would not work on him. Taking down another four guards, Danny was unexpectedly struck from behind, and after recovering, found himself trapped in one of Skulker's nets. With Vlad occupied by the other guards, Skulker floated over in front of Danny with a malicious grin. Before he could begin to phase out of the net, Skulker pressed a button on his arm, causing the net to shock Danny repeatedly. When they suddenly stopped, he felt drained, but was surprised to see Vlad locked in hand to hand combat with Skulker and all of the other guards taken down. He looked to Vlad who just said with a grunt while dodging a punch from Skulker, "Get out of that and go and get the device. I have a score to settle with my former employee."

Danny phased out of the net and somewhat drunkenly made his way to Walker's office, blasting the several guards running down the corridors to the ground before they could get shots in at him. The hallway that led to Walker's office was eerily deserted, and Danny got the impression as he approached the door that something bad was waiting for him beyond it, but those thoughts were pushed aside when he found the office completely deserted. Apparently Walker was out at the moment. 'Perfect,' he thought, while looking around the room for the device. He looked through the things on Walker's desk and found nothing that looked like the Plasmius Maximus, so he tried opening the drawers.

Finding them locked, he searched the desk for something to pop the locks with, and found a letter opener. He managed to get the drawers open and rifled through them until he found the device he was looking for. He grabbed it and shoved it in one of the pockets in his suit. As he was closing up the drawers, he noticed a flash of familiar red. Curious, he dug through the drawer and found a slightly torn hat and a picture. "Tucker? Sam?" he questioned as he looked at the items in his hands. Tucker's hat was ripped and covered in several dark stains, and the picture was of a pale Sam lying in a hospital bed with a large white bandage wrapped around her head. As he stood there sadly, wondering what had happened to his friends, he didn't even notice the hulking shadow come up behind him before it fired an ectoblast at his back.

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Jazz and Tucker sat outside Sam's hospital room, waiting for Sam's parents to emerge. They had been nearly hysterical when they arrived, asking questions that neither Jazz or Tucker could answer truthfully. They had just told them the same thing they had told the doctors and police, that when Sam hadn't arrived at Fentonworks when she was supposed to, they had gone after her and found her beaten in the alley. It certainly looked like it had been that way, and they had made sure not to mention Skulker or any other attacker. Jazz knew that her parents were still on edge about ghosts and the loss of her brother, so mentioning the role of a ghost in Sam's attack would not have been good.

Tucker had told the police that he had found out about the attack by calling Sam when she hadn't shown, and he had used her cell phone to track her when he lost contact after she had yelled for help. None of it was technically a lie, because it certainly appeared that she had been jumped by someone, and Tucker's phone call was also good evidence for their lie. When the Mansons had heard this, they firmly believed it had something to do with their wealth and/or Sam's manner of dress. Both Jazz and Tucker were appalled at this, but held their tongues. It would have done no good to fight, especially since Sam hadn't woken up yet.

As they sat there waiting, Tucker followed Jazz's example and pulled out the book that Sam had assigned them to read for research. It was the least he could do, as the nurses had already chastised him for using his PDA in the hospital twice. He needed something to occupy his mind so he would stop thinking about the plights of his best friends, and reading the book would do that as well as help them. He also needed to get the fact that he was in a hospital willingly out of his mind. It wasn't so bad as long as he was in an out of the way corner. It was the needles and machines that scared him. That was one reason he had not gone into the room to see Sam yet, even though the Mansons had told him he could. The other reason was that he didn't want to see how bad it really was. Sam had looked terrible when they got her out of the alleyway, and he could not stand to see her look that way. That was another reason he was glad for the paper bag over his head. He shook himself out of his thoughts and began to read.

It was only about ten minutes later when a blood curdling scream ripped through the relative quiet in the hospital. It had sounded like it had come from Sam's room!

"Sam!" Jazz and Tucker yelled as they jumped up and rushed into Sam's room.

When they reached the door and threw it open, they found Ms. Manson fainted in her husband's arms, just catching a glimpse of a red cape as a ghost phased through the wall. After getting over her shock somewhat, Jazz broke the silence by asking, "What happened?"

Breaking his blank stare at the wall where the ghost had gone through, Mr. Manson seemed to come to his senses a bit, shaking his head and stammering, "Ghost... pirate... took picture." It was just coherent enough for Jazz to understand. She crossed the room put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, now. I think he's gone. Would you like to let me take a look at Ms. Manson?" He nodded slowly and lowered them both to the sofa behind them. Jazz checked her pulse and said, " I think she's just had a shock." "Tucker, could you go and get a nurse for me?" she asked as she glanced over at Tucker, who had frozen in the doorway.

He was looking at Sam's battered form with an indecipherable expression on his face. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I will Jazz," he said as he broke out of his trance and left the room to find a nurse.

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Back with Danny...

The blast impacted with his back sending the hat and picture flying as he was pitched headfirst into the desk. His eyes flashed brightly and Sam's name escaped his lips once more, as the darkness closed in around him. Walker watched as the ghostboy went limp and slid to the ground unmoving. He cursed himself and waited for Danny to arise, but when he did not, he carefully approached the prostrate boy and poked him in the side with his foot. Upon getting no response, he cursed again and activated his wrist communicator. "Plasmius, we have a problem."

"What? You didn't kill him did you? So help me if you did, I'll..."

"No. No, I just knocked him out, cold."

"Was his energy sufficiently drained?"

"I don't know. Get Skulker in here to check. He could wake up at any moment," Walker said.

Soon after, Skulker entered carrying several gadgets, including a dart gun and a small box, followed by Vlad, who looked slightly miffed. "You are lucky we had a backup plan, Walker. According to Skulker this should work just as well," Vlad said as he entered the room.

Vlad and Walker stood off to the side as Skulker set up his equipment. Unbeknownst to the other three in the room, Danny had begun to awaken. He could hear voices talking about a plan of some kind, but could not make out who they were or exactly what they were saying. He groaned slightly and began to twitch and roll over, but his consciousness was short-lived when the others in the room realized he was awake. He felt a sharp sting in the side of his neck before he slipped away again.

Skulker backed away from the unconscious ghost child and continued his work. He set the spectral energy neutralizer (SEN) up to accept Danny but before placing him in the box, he scanned his body with a weird blue light emanating from his wrist. He grunted and typed some things into the PDA and pulled him up off the floor. Once Skulker put Danny in the box and it expanded around him, the SEN began to glow an eerie green. As it did, Danny began to lose his spectral glow and all other signs of his ghostliness except for his shaggy white hair. After a few minutes, a small ding from Skulker's PDA signaled the process was over. At the same time, the transformation rings formed, returning him to human form but with white hair.

"That's an interesting side effect," Vlad said in response to Danny's still white hair. "I wonder what color his eyes are," Vlad said as he approached Danny and lifted up one of his eyelids to check. "Huh, blue, like they normally are in his human form. This could work," he said as he smiled sinisterly. "Someone needs to go get Patricia now. She can begin as soon as he wakes up."

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Jazz sat by Sam's bedside waiting for her to awaken while Tucker slept on the couch across the room. He had fallen asleep over an hour earlier reading the book Sam had assigned him at the Nasty Burger. Apparently he needed the stimulation of his PDA or other electronics to keep him awake. She had long since finished her book and had highlighted some interesting passages for them to look over when Sam woke up. Looking over them again, she noted the most important passages involved the ghost that had pulled Amity Park into the Ghost Zone not too long ago, Pariah Dark. He had been the king of the ghosts and was imprisoned in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep thanks to her brother. What she hadn't known was how the government was organized. The section she was currently looking at shed some light on that.

_Ancient Ghost Zone Laws and Regulations Set by High Council_

_The Ghost Zone's government is an absolute monarchy aided by the Council of Ancients. The king has authority over all of the Ghost Zone, so long as his authority is sanctioned by the Council and he does not break on of the three ancient commandments:_

_1. The king may not order an execution of a prisoner without a proper trial before the Council of Ancients._

_2. The king may not try to disband or destroy the Council of Ancients or usurp their powers for his own_

_3. The king may not enter the human world in an attempt to take it as part of his domain. _

According to the book, Pariah Dark had broken at least one of the commandments, incurring the wrath of the Council, and that had led to his downfall. What she could not understand is why the council did not act when he had been released from the Sarcophagus. Where were they when all of that happened? The information about Pariah Dark and the Council had been interesting but did nothing to help her figure out what had happened to Danny. She hoped whatever had prompted Sam to rush over to her house in the middle of the night was worth all of this. The next thing on the agenda would be to figure out why the ghosts were suddenly targeting them again and who that was in Sam's hospital room. Startled by a loud snort from Tucker curled up on the couch, she decided it was time to wake him up so they could figure out that part of the mystery- that and his snoring was getting on her nerves.

"Tucker. Tucker, wake up." Nothing. "Tucker." A small snort and some incoherent mumbling. 'What was it that Sam said was a sure fire way to get him up... something about Technus... Oh yeah.' "Tucker, Technus has got your PDA and his going to use it to take over the world."

"No, not my baby!" he wailed as he jerked upright, his glasses askew on his face. Once he had woken up and adjusted his glasses on his face, he saw Jazz sitting there barely containing her laughter. Grumbling something about being glad he was an only child, he straightened himself up and told Jazz pointedly, "I think Sam's rubbing off on you a little too much."

"No, she doesn't wear enough black and she is still to cheery," a gravelly voice responded.

"Sam!" Jazz and Tucker exclaimed at the same time. "You're awake!"

"How are you feeling?" Jazz asked.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. First off, how long was I out?" Sam asked.

Jazz was the first to respond, "You were out for almost three days. The doctors were worried you would slip into a coma."

"Wow. Well did anything interesting happen while I was out? I suppose you got Skulker." She looked around the room with a frown on her face. "I notice my parents aren't here," she remarked sourly.

"Oh, yes, we did get Skulker, and I sent him back into the Ghost Zone when I went home to shower. I also made sure the portal was sealed again when I finished. I had to sneak around and get into the lab while my Dad wasn't down there." Jazz paused, "Speaking of parents, they were here, but left after your mother fainted when another ghost came after you. It just phased into your hospital room and took a picture of you and left. Your parents have spent the last couple of days trying to get every ghost hunter in the area to come here, except my parents. I don't know if it is out of deference to what happened with Danny or the fact that your parents still hate mine," Jazz provided in an indiscernible tone of voice.

"Okay, I can say I am surprised they are here but not at the rest. You said something about another ghost?" Sam said.

"Yes, but we don't know who it was," Tucker told her. "Your dad said something about a pirate, but the only one I can think of that resembles a pirate is Youngblood, but your dad shouldn't have been able to see him."

"Maybe you should look at the ghost files and see if Danny had any information about any other ghost pirates," Jazz suggested.

Tucker whipped out his trusty PDA and began the search. "Thank goodness I backed up all of the ghost files to my handheld before all of this happened. There is no way we could have gotten into Danny's room to search on his computer without arousing suspicion. Your parents have practically turned it into a shrine now. Your mom practically had a cow the last time somebody moved something in his room," he said to Jazz as he poked away with his stylus. "There, now we just have to wait for the search to complete," he said with a flourish.

Jazz and Sam leaned forward in anticipation as they sat in silence waiting. Suddenly, the PDA beeped, and Tucker crossed over the room and positioned himself between the two girls so they could see the screen. "Hmm. Only three pirates came up on the search: Youngblood, the Flying Dutchman, and Bullet," Jazz said.

"Well, it can't be Youngblood, because your parents saw him," Tucker said while gesturing to Sam, "and he can only be seen by kids, and I don't think it was the Flying Dutchman, either, because he usually doesn't haunt above the water. According to, Danny, he is no real threat to humans unless he is provoked, and then he is only really provoked if someone takes his sock," Tucker said. At the girls inquiring looks, he responded, "Yeah, I know it's weird, but what ghost isn't?"

Shaking her head slightly as if to clear her thoughts, Sam added her input, "It must be this Bullet. Pull up his profile and see what Danny has on him." Tucker clicked on Bullet's name and they all sat there reading his information quietly.

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Danny groaned slightly as he began to come to. The murmurs in the room quieted as he did so, its other occupants waiting for him to open his eyes. He lifted his head and opened his eyes slightly, squinting at the light, waiting for the shapes in the room to come into focus. The large white blob in front of him began to take form and after a few seconds, Danny could tell who it was.

"Walker!" he exclaimed.

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"It says here that Bullet is the second in command at the ghost penitentiary. That means he works for Walker," Sam said softly.

After a few seconds, all three of them came to the same conclusion and exclaimed, "Walker!"

AN: Yes, for dramatic license they said it at the same time, but time periods will diverge again and it will be like it was before, with only the important parts from each place. I am not sure how many chapters there will be before I start the sequel, but there will be at least one more.


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